Never Too Late
by polkadot-scalpels
Summary: Lexie leaves Seattle and goes to Boston after her relationship with Mark proves to be a failure. Years later she returns and shocks Seattle Grace with her return and the gifts that she comes bearing.
1. Prologue

**HI! This is a story that I have had working in my brain for a while now! I know you guys are like how the heck is she starting another one when she hasn't even finished the first!IDK I just had to get it out here!This is pretty short becuase it's just the prologue! But I plan to update ASAP!Disclaimer:I don't own Grey's!READ!REVIEW!ENJOY!**

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Her watery eyes tried to focus on what was in front of her. No…scratch that. She didn't want to look at it, she didn't want to look at what it said. Her eyes became clear and there it was, staring her dead in the face. Positive. She dropped it on the ground and cried even harder. She was pregnant. She was pregnant with _his _baby. She was pregnant with Mark Sloan's baby. Her thoughts drifted to so many things at that moment. How right her dark and twisty sister had been to want to protect her. How they only had a chance of three percent in the first place, and how she ended up here, alone and pregnant with Mark Sloan's baby living in Boston, Massachusetts.

* * *

"_Mark!" Lexie shouted as she checked another on call room trying to find him. She was busting with excitement. She had just been awarded her first solo surgery and she wanted to share her happiness with him, but at the moment she couldn't seem to find him. She checked another on call room and another. She came to the last on call room. She knew he had to be in this one. She turned the handle and she saw two people engaging in some interesting activities. "Oh…Sorry!" She said turning to go but she stopped as she heard the female voice moan "Dr. Sloan." She snapped her head back to the direction of the two occupants in the bed. _

"_What the fuck!" She yelled as Mark and the woman looked up. Lexie recognized her to be a new nurse on the surgical floor._

"_Oh…shit." Mark mumbled as he practically pushed the nurse off of him. He jumped up and started putting on his scrubs. "Lexie…wait!" But it was too late; she was already gone from the room and running down the hallway with tears streaming down her face. She heard him calling her name but she refused to turn around. She ran into the elevators and unfortunately before the doors closed, he made his way in there with her._

"_Lexie…I'm sorry." _

"_Bullshit! I catch you screwing someone else and all you have to say is sorry! I can't even look at you right now!" She screamed at him._

"_I never wanted to hurt you….I just…"_

"_You just what Mark? What!" Lexie screamed her voice getting hoarse. _"_I was fucking pathetic to think that you and I could ever work! You will always just be Dr. Sloan, the man whore!"_

"_If you just give me a chance to…"_

"_Give you a chance to what? Justify you fucking other women! Fuck you! I love you…I could see my life with you in ten…twenty years." Lexie said as angry tears streamed down her face. At that moment the elevator doors opened and Lexie pushed past Mark and ran out of the elevator, leaving him completely alone._

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That was a month and a half ago. She had caught the plane out of Seattle that night and she never looked back. She had called Meredith and Molly to tell them where she was and assure them that she was safe. Shaking her head she looked down at the stick that she had dropped on the white tile. What was she going to do? Lexie wouldn't consider herself pro-life but the idea of killing babies had the ability to make her queasy. Whatever the decisions she made, she knew it would change her life.

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So...what'd you think? REVIEW PLEASE!


	2. Sunny Morning, Cloudy Evening

**I know a lot of you hate me for what I did in the last chapter...trust me I hate it too, but there is a cause for all of this! So here we go! This chapter is kind of short, they'll get longer in time! SO READ!REVIEW! ENJOY!Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's...if I did the storyline would be Mark and Lexie centered every week!lol!**

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...7 years later

Lexie was usually up before her alarm went off but not this morning she was running entirely late, which could throw off her whole day. She blinked a few times and looked over at the clock. "Shit!" She hissed as she jumped out of the bed. She walked through the hallway of her apartment room while putting her hair into a messy ponytail. She frantically opened the door to the only other room in the apartment. "Wake up Rissa! Mommy's running so, so late!" Lexie said as she walked over to her daughter's bed and gently shook her. Marissa Susan Grey opened her lovely blue eyes and stretched her arms above her head.

"Mommy…I don't want to go to school!" Rissa whined as she turned her back to her mother.

"Please Rissa, not today. Get up hun." Lexie repeated as she pulled the covers back from her daughter's body. Lexie went into the bathroom and started brushing her teeth. Marissa came in moments later rubbing her eyes. She stepped up on the stool that was meant for her short stature so she could see the mirror. She started to prepare herself as well. Lexie looked down at her wrist watch and saw that if they did not leave this apartment in ten minutes she would be screwed.

"Cereal or instant oatmeal?" Lexie questioned her daughter.

"Oatmeal." Marissa said with her mouth full of toothpaste. Lexie nodded and warmed the oatmeal in the microwave while she returned to her own bedroom to put on her scrubs. Usually she would change at the hospital but they were running so late.

Lexie didn't know how she did it. She had finished residency all while being a single mother. It wasn't easy though. She had lots of help. Her best friend, Jennifer, who she had met at Mass. Gen. became her roommate and helped her through her pregnancy. She had kept in contact with Meredith over the years and Meredith knew about Marissa and had been sworn to secrecy. Seeing how it was the sisterly thing to do Meredith had sent Lexie money occasionally and Molly had too. The hospital was a big help, being flexible with Lexie's hours and what not and allowing Marissa to practically be raised in the Day Care center at the hospital and Lexie had absolutely no personal life. All of these obstacles gave Lexie the drive she needed to complete her residency and become a Peds Surgeon. With every one of her patients, Lexie imagined that it was Marissa on her table and did her very best to save them. Lexie was very good at her job. Overall, she was happy about the hand that life had dealt her.

"Mommy!" She heard Marissa calling her name, causing her to break out of her thoughts.

"Coming sweetie!" Lexie yelled back as she finished puting on her scrubs. She walked out into the kitchen to see Marissa dressed in her uniform, eating her oatmeal. "Don't forget your vitamins." Lexie said as she reached from the cabinet and handed one to Marissa. Lexie grabbed a granola bar and a bottle of water, knowing she had no time to eat breakfast herself. Seeing that Marissa was done with her food, Lexie quickly moved behind her daughter to do her hair. She braided it in one French braid going to the back.

"Ready?" Lexie said grabbing Marissa's coat and her own.

"Ready!" She replied as they walked out of the door.

* * *

After Lexie dropped Marissa off at school, she rushed like mad to get to the hospital. When she got there, she was a little relieved when she saw the surgical board and that her surgery had been pushed back. "Oh, thank God!" She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Dr. Grey." She turned her head to see Dr. Breck smiling at her. "Good morning."

"Good morning." She replied quietly. Dr. Brian Breck had been trying to take her out on a date for the last three years or so but after Lexie had Marissa, it seemed impossible to let a man into her life because one, she had no time and two, she didn't know if she was ever capable of loving another man again.

"So what do you have up for Friday night?" He asked giving her a sly grin.

"Same thing I always do…watching Disney movies with my kid." Lexie replied cheekily.

"We could all go to a movie together." He tried again.

"Sorry but Dr. Grey already promised me that we all were going to a movie on Friday." A voice said behind them. Lexie turned around to see Jennifer smiling.

"Oh…I see. I'll catch you later." He said as he walked away.

"Doesn't he ever get tired of being turned down?" Jennifer asked.

"Apparently not." Lexie said laughing. "Thanks, you saved me."

"Don't I always?" Jennifer stated laughing. "How's my beautiful goddaughter?"

"Pestering me about getting a pet."

"You should do it! She's been such a good girl." Jennifer tried to persuade Lexie.

"I know. I know." Lexie said to her friend before being paged. "I have to go." She said before leaving.

* * *

After Lexie's surgeries were performed, she went and picked Marissa up from day care. They came home and ate the take out Chinese food that they had picked up on their way from home. Lexie was helping Marissa with her homework. Marissa had to color a map of the United States and place the capital on there with a star.

"Mommy…is the capital of Washington Seattle?" She heard Marissa ask in a timid voice. Sometimes Lexie could swear that Marissa knew things about her past in Seattle.

"No…Riss…it's Olympia."

"Oh." She said looking back down at her map.

"But Seattle is the biggest city." Lexie said in a far away voice.

"Isn't that where Aunt Molly lives…and Aunt…"

"Merdith…yes, that's where they live."

"How come we never go see them?" She asked curiously.

"Because mommy is way too busy." Lexie said ruffling Rissa's hair.

"Well I want to go one day." Marissa said as she continued to color her map. Lexie did miss Seattle. It was home after all but she didn't think she'd be going back there anytime soon and she definitely didn't want Marissa going there. The sound of the phone ringing shook her out of her thoughts.

"I'll get it!" Marissa said about to jump down from the chair.

"No…young lady, you won't. Finish your homework." Lexie said moving to the phone. She looked at it and she saw that Molly's number was displayed. "Hey sis!" She said happy that she was getting a call from her little sister.

"Hey, Lex." Molly said sadly on the other line.

"Molly…is everything okay?"

"No…no everything's not okay Lex…dad died." Molly said on the other line. Lexie was so shocked that the line stayed quiet for quite awhile.

"Okay…I'll be on the next flight as soon as I can." Lexie said quietly once she found her voice.

"Okay, call me before you leave. I love you."

"I love you too Molly." Lexie said before hanging up the phone. Her father was dead. He had been long dead before this. Emotionally that is, but now he was physically dead. Lexie had to go back to Seattle, somewhere she thought that she would never return to.

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**Well...what'd ya think?Lexie's on her way to Seattle...hahaha and she will defintely run into some faces from the past. REVIEW! or I won't but up the next chapter tonight!**


	3. People Change

**SO SORRY! It took me forever to update...i got called into work a few times and then my friend broke her arm! CRAZY STUFF!So here's chapter 3!READ!REVIEW!ENJOY!Disclaimer:I don't own Grey's.**

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Lexie turned and willed herself to look at the clock. She didn't want to get up. She didn't want to go to the airport and catch a flight to the place she used to call home, the place where she swore she would never go again. Molly had called two days ago to relay that their father was dead. In those two days Lexie tried to get someone to keep Rissa but it was impossible. Jennifer refused to, saying that Rissa needed to meet her family and her other half, her father. Lexie thought about just shoving Rissa in Jennifer's doorway and then jet out of there but if Lexie was really honest with herself she wanted Marissa to meet her aunts and her father. She slowly got out of the bed and walked to Rissa's bedroom. Rissa looked so adorable; clutching her stuffed panda, with her dark brown hair sprawled out on the pillow. She loved when Rissa slept, when her eyes were closed. She didn't have to look into those blue eyes, Mark's eyes. She loved every being of Marissa; it just bothered her that she had to have his eyes. After Marissa was born Lexie used to pray that her eyes would change to brown. It didn't happen.

"Rissa, sweetie wake up." Lexie said pulling the covers off of her.

"Mom!" Rissa whined, pulling the covers back up.

"Marissa Susan Grey, we have a plane to catch. Please get up." Lexie said using the stern voice she hated having to use. Rissa instantly popped up from the bed, her eyes bright and wide.

"Oh yeah! We're going to Seattle!" Rissa said getting out of the bed and going to the bathroom to brush her teeth.

"Unfortunately." Lexie mumbled as she followed suit to brush her teeth as well.

* * *

After getting ready and making sure everything they needed was packed, they caught a cab to the airport. Once there luggage was checked in they waited a while at the gate and after what seemed like an eternity they boarded the plane. Since Lexie hadn't slept all night she felt herself getting sleepy. As she felt herself about to doze off, the captain came on and made the announcement that they were about to prepare for takeoff.

"Are you strapped in Riss?" Lexie asked making sure that it was secure. Lexie was super paranoid about airplanes. After seeing movies like Final Destination, Flightplan, and many others, she always played out scenarios where things that happened in the movie could happen on the plane. It was because of the latter that she didn't want to go to sleep. Throughout the flight Lexie tried to stay awake. Half-way through she dozed off. After all, from Boston to Seattle is a long trip. Next thing she knew, Rissa was tugging on her arm.

"Mommy! Mommy! We're here!" Rissa said excited. Lexie woke up and looked out of the window to see that they indeed had landed in Seattle.

"Here we go." Lexie said wistfully.

* * *

When they got off of the plane and picked up their baggage, Lexie called Molly's house and cell phone and was annoyed that she wasn't getting an answer. She figured Molly might be busy with funeral arrangements. She thought about calling her dark and twisty sister but she quickly dismissed that thought. They went outside to see that it was raining. No surprise, it is Seattle. Just as Lexie was about to hail a cab, she heard her name being called. She turned her head to see Meredith waving her down. Lexie was surprised and annoyed. She walked over to Meredith's car. "What are you doing here?" Lexie asked confused.

"Molly asked me to pick you up because she's still at the funeral home."

"Funeral home? He wanted to be cremated." Lexie argued.

"Molly said she wants to put him next to Susan." Meredith said shaking her head.

"Oh joy." Lexie said sarcastically as she looked down at Rissa who was hiding behind her legs. "Rissa, this is your Aunt Meredith."

"Hi." Marissa said quietly.

"Hi Marissa. You have a cousin who's a little younger than you." Meredith said smiling. Lexie got Marissa situated in the back seat and preceded to get in the passenger seat as Meredith got in the driver's seat and started to drive off. Lexie looked out of the window at the city that she once called her abode.

"I can't believe I'm back here." Lexie mumbled causing Meredith to laugh. Meredith glanced in her mirror to see Marissa's finger following the rain droplets on the window.

"She has his eyes." Meredith said as she returned her attention to the road. Lexie ignored that comment and changed the subject.

"How's Derek?"

"Fine. You know once he sees Marissa, he's going to know." Meredith said looking over at Lexie.

"I'm not going to deny if he asks. Is…is Mark still here?" Lexie asked timidly.

"No…he moved back to New York." Meredith said sarcastically. "Of course he's still here and he and Derek are close as ever."

"Do you think Derek will tell him?" Lexie said fearfully.

"No. Derek doesn't believe in interfering when it comes to Mark."

"Good. I'll be out of Seattle in no time and back home soon." Lexie said turning back to the window.

"This is home Lexie." Meredith said. "You might not admit it to me or yourself but you miss Seattle. I know you do."

"Why do you care Meredith? The last time I saw you…you were all dark and twisty."

"Well, I'm married and I'm a mommy. I'm…bright and shiny now; I've changed."

"I could never see you as bright and shiny."

"Well I am. Besides with Izzie gone, someone had to become all bubbly." Meredith said thoughtfully thinking of her deceased friend.

"So what'd you do with the house?" Lexie said knowing that they had finally moved onto Derek's land.

"We sold it."

The rest of the ride was silent with a little chatter here and there. When they pulled up, Marissa couldn't contain her excitement.

"It's so pretty! Look at all the land mommy!"

"It's lovely." Lexie said looking at Meredith. They piled out of the car and quickly ran inside to prevent getting soaked from the rain.

"Derek! I'm back and I brought some strays!" Meredith yelled through the house.

"We don't take in strays." He said joking as he appeared from another room. "Hey Lexie." Derek said hugging her. "We missed you around here."

"Thanks. Oh, this is your niece Marissa." Lexie said pushing her forth. The first thing Derek noticed were her eyes, they were blue…like Mark's. Lexie could see Derek putting the pieces together in his head.

"Rissa, this is your Uncle Derek. Say Hi."

"Hi." She said shyly.

"Hi there little lady." Derek said smiling at her. "If you'll follow me, I'll introduce to your cousin Christopher." Derek said taking her hand and leading her into the other room.

"He knows." Meredith said heating up some tea.

"Thanks for stating the obvious." Lexie said before hearing a baby cry.

"You have another one?" Lexie said looking at her.

"Two others. Christopher is five. Then there's Isobel, she's two and Michael is six months."

"Wow, Meredith."

"What can I say? A lot has changed." Meredith said shrugging her shoulders before going to check on Michael, leaving Lexie alone. Derek walked back in the kitchen.

"Where's Rissa?" Lexie asked.

"Playing with Chris." Derek said. "So, how've you been?"

"Good…I'm loving Peds."

"Yeah, Meredith said you decided to go into peds." Derek said tip toeing around the subject.

"So…" Derek said trailing off.

"So…" Lexie repeated. She sighed and figured she should just get it over with. "Why don't you just ask Derek?"

"What…ask what?"

"Who Marissa's father is."

"Lexie, it's not my business…but you should tell him." Derek said placing his hand on her shoulder.

"Meredith said you'd be able to tell." Lexie said leaning her back on the counter.

"She has his eyes and she looks like him when we were kids." Derek said chuckling. "You'd be blind to miss it."

"Nothing gets passed you."

"You've got that right…but really, he deserves to know." Derek said sincerely.

"How…how is he?" Lexie asked hesitantly.

"Still Mark Sloan."

"So he's still a man whore." Lexie snorted.

"No Lexie, he isn't. He tried the relationship thing again but it didn't work out."

"Let me guess, he cheated?"

"She did."

"What goes around comes around."

"I guess. Anyway, he's more into his work now."

"Good for him." Lexie said stiffly before hearing her phone ring. "Hello." She said into the phone.

"Hey Lex, you're at Meredith's right?"

"Yeah…I am. So I guess you weren't going to tell me that we were going to bury him."

"I mean…what'd you think we were going to do?"

"Uh…cremate him like he wanted to be!" Lexie said incredulously.

"I want to put him next to mom."

"He doesn't deserve to be put next to her." Lexie mumbled.

"How can you say that!" Molly responded appalled.

"Because it's true. You know he wanted to be cremated. I'm the oldest; therefore I get to make that decision."

"Technically, Meredith is the oldest—"

"She doesn't count." Lexie said cutting her off.

"And when you live on the other side of the country and don't keep in contact, you don't get to make those choices. I've been taking care of him all this time with absolutely no help so if I want to bury him instead of cremating him, I have the right to do so!" Molly yelled before hanging up. Lexie stared at her cell phone, not believing that her sister had just yelled at her like that.

"Can I stay here for the night? Molly's kind of mad at me." She said looking at Derek.

"No problem. You can sleep in the attic." Derek said cheekily.

"So not funny." Lexie said swatting him on the arm. "Meredith seems like she's changed."

"Because she's not her dark and twisty self anymore? Yeah, motherhood does that to you. Did you know that she tries to visit Molly once a month?"

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. She's really bright and shiny now. If you would have stayed…you two would probably be closer."

"I don't think so. She's always hated me."

"Not anymore." Meredith chipped in coming in the kitchen holding Michael.

"I'll go see what the kids are up to." Derek said taking his leave.

"I didn't tell you this but Isobel's middle name is Alexandra."

"Really?" Lexie said shocked. Meredith shook her head yes.

"Wow…you really have changed." Lexie said letting it sink in.

"Lexie…when you left…I missed you."

"You…missed me?" Lexie asked pointing to herself.

"Yeah, I did."

"I thought you hated me."

"I did…but not anymore. Now that I'm no longer my dark and twisty self…I want us to…try. I mean really try to be sisters."

"Meredith…I…I wanted to be your sister but you shot me down."

"I know and I'm sorry for that and I always will be."

"I don't know. Things are different now. I live on the other side of the country."

"I know…just think about it. "Meredith said shrugging her shoulders.

"Okay. I hope you don't mind, Rissa and I are staying the night…Molly and I had some…disagreements."

"Of course you can stay here." Meredith said happily.

"You're like a freakin' Stepford wife. Is Christina like this too?"

"Worse." Meredith said and then started laughing. "I'm just joking. She's still herself."

Meredith and Lexie continued to talk and Lexie couldn't help to think that Meredith really had changed. Coming back to Seattle, she had expected for it to be the same and everybody she knew in it unchanged. If she was wrong about that, what else could she be wrong about?

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**What did you guys think???REVIEW PLEASE!P.S. I know you guys want to see some Slexie love...it's coming...maybe not next chapter but soon!**


	4. To Make Matters Worse

WITHOUT FURTHER ADO CHAPTER 4!disclaimer: I don't own Grey's Anatomy

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Seattle was just starting to wake up. It was light out but the sun hadn't risen yet and Lexie was propped up on her elbow watching Marissa sleep. She had gotten so used to it just being them but coming back to Seattle had brought about a whole new set of feelings. Lexie quickly dismissed the thought of telling Mark about Marissa. She was just going to attend Thatcher's funeral and go back to Boston where she belonged. Knowing that Marissa wasn't going to get up for a while longer, she quietly slipped out of bed and put on some sweat pants and a sweat shirt. It had been a long time since she had seen Seattle's sunrise and she wanted to take full advantage of it.

She was proud that she had gotten out of the house without anybody knowing. She was sitting on the cold ground, with her arms around her knees which were hugged up to her chin. She awaited the sun rise with excitement. She watched as the city below started to be bathed in the gold beautiful light.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Meredith's voice said behind her, causing her to startle a little bit.

"Jeez Meredith, you scared me." Lexie said putting her hand to her heart as she turned around to look at her.

"Sorry." Meredith said sitting crossed legged beside her.

"Did I wake you?" Lexie asked apologetically.

"No. If I get up on time I try to watch the sunrise."

"Oh. I almost forgot how lovely it is." Lexie said as she closed her eyes.

"They say that sunrises and sunsets are the same everywhere. I disagree. When I was at Dartmouth, I found myself yearning for the Seattle sunrise."

"Yeah, I know what you mean."

"Marissa's a great kid. You did a good job Lexie."

"Thanks."

"I love my kids, but I don't think for a minute that I could even handle one of them as a single mom."

"It wasn't easy." Lexie said looking at Meredith, who just nodded.

"Are you…I mean it's none of my business but are you going to tell Mark?"

"No." Lexie said looking the other way.

"Lexie." Meredith said in a scolding tone.

"What am I supposed to do? Show up at the Archfield and say "Hey Mark, I just want to let you know you have a six and a half year old daughter.""

"Actually, he doesn't live at the Archfield anymore."

"Whatever. You get my point. I'm just here for my father's funeral and then I'll be on my way back to Boston. Nobody will know I was ever here."

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"That things didn't work out with you and Mark."

"It's in the past…besides you tried to warn me."

"Yeah but for a while he made you happy and I wanted to be wrong about him."

"Well you weren't."

It stayed quiet a while before Meredith changed the subjects by asking, "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, I did. Thank you." Lexie said turning her head back to the sunrise.

"It's funny." Meredith said chuckling.

"What's funny?" Lexie asked knitting her eyebrows.

"We're each other seven years ago."

"What do you mean?" Lexie asked still confused.

"I'm bright and shiny like you used to be and you're dark and twisty like I used to be."

"I am not dark and twisty!" Lexie said offended.

"Really?" Meredith asked unconvinced.

"I'm just…being a single mother changes you." Lexie said dismissively.

"So…is there anyone special in Boston?" Meredith asked nudging Lexie.

"No…it's just Marissa and I." Lexie said shaking her head.

"That's lonely."

"Loneliness is not something to be worried about when you're always on call and raising a kid on your own."

"Maybe if you would've told Mark about her, it wouldn't be so hard." Meredith said causing Lexie to snort.

"And what was he going to do Meredith? Hop on a plane to Boston, marry me and live happily ever after. Mark isn't that kind of guy."

"Does she ever ask about him?"

"Yeah, she does." Lexie said thoughtfully.

"What do you tell her?"

"That he left and never came back."

"Sounds more like you."

"When she's older, I'll tell her."

"And if she's going to want to find him? Then what?"

"I don't know Meredith!" Lexie snapped. She immediately regretted it when she saw Meredith look away. "Sorry…I just don't like talking about it."

"It's okay. Let's go back inside. The kids should be up soon anyways." Meredith said standing up before helping Lexie up off of the hard ground.

* * *

After breakfast, Derek was paged to the hospital. Before he left Lexie made him swear that he wouldn't tell Mark that she was here or about Marissa. Marissa had gotten so attached to her new cousins that she didn't want to be separated from them so it was decided that Lexie and Marissa would stay there for the duration of their stay. Meredith had left to take Christopher to school. Little Christopher was overjoyed to have another cousin. He desperately wanted to take Marissa to school with him but after his mother explained why she couldn't come, he went to school without a fight. He took comfort in the fact that she would be there after school.

Lexie was left at the Shepherd home with her own little one, little Izzie, and Michael. Marissa had gone back to sleep much to Lexie's annoyance because she wanted Riss to start on the assignments she was given by her teachers. Lexie was playing with Izzie in the living room, while Michael was asleep. Lexie took in her surroundings and saw all the family photos that adorned the walls. There were also some with Meredith, Izzie, George, Alex, and Christina. Lexie smiled sadly, thinking about the two smiling faces who were no longer here. She moved on to another photo, where Derek and a very pregnant Meredith were standing in front of the old house. Lexie froze as her eyes came upon a photo with Derek and Mark grinning. Lexie let her shoulders fall as she willed herself to turn away from the picture and go back to playing with Izzie.

Lexie heard the door open and close and then it was followed by Meredith's voice. "Lexie, where are you?"

"In here." She said. Meredith walked in and smiled at little Izzie.

"Hi! My precious girl." Meredith said sitting on the floor and hoisting her into her lap. "I went by Molly's." She said looking up at Lexie.

"And?" Lexie asked trying not to care.

"Don't even try to act like you don't care." Meredith told her.

"I don't. She can do whatever she wants with his body." Lexie shrugged.

"She wants to see you. She says she hasn't seen you in so long and it's silly for you guys not to be talking at a time like this. Face it Lexie, you guys need each other." Meredith said as she smiled at her.

"You've become a real softie." Lexie chuckled.

"Hey! I'm still a bad A-S-S when it comes to the OR." Meredith defended herself. The phone started ringing and Meredith reached over to the table to answer it.

"Hello." Meredith said cheerfully and then Lexie watched as her face dropped. "But I just—we'll be right there." Lexie looked at her worried.

"What's wrong?"

"We gotta go. Molly got into a car accident."

"What!" Lexie said, her voice trembling. Meredith rushed upstairs to get Michael and wake Marissa. Lexie picked up little Izzie and headed towards the door. She paused as her brain just started to process this information. Molly. Accident. Hospital. Seattle Grace. Mark. This was going to be a long day.

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I know it was short but you guys have been waiting for such a long time! Next one will be longer! PROMISE!


	5. It's Been A Long Time

Okay, here it is! The reunion you've all been waiting for! Disclaimer:Grey's is not mine! (if it was there wouldn't be this nonsense with Lexie not moving in with Mark..lol)READ!REVIEW!ENJOY!

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On the way to the hospital, Lexie was trying to play out every scenario in her head if she saw Mark at the hospital. So far, every one of them involved him being furious at her for not letting him know about Marissa. She was trying not to care because he was the one who threw it all away but in the back of her mind her conscious was telling her that she had been wrong for not telling him about his daughter. She chided herself for her own selfish thoughts, she should've been thinking about Molly. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even feel the car stop.

"Lexie." Meredith's voice shook her out of her thoughts. Lexie turned to look at her.

"I can't do this. I can't go in there! What if he's in there?" Lexie panicked.

"Lexie, calm down. Yes, Mark will probably be in there but while you were freaking out, I came up with a solution."

"What?"

"I'm going to drop the children off in the day care. Okay?"

"Okay." Lexie sighed in relief before they got out of the car.

Once they entered Seattle Grace, Lexie became nostalgic. She hadn't walked these halls in such a long time. In a way, a part of her life started and ended at Seattle Grace. They walked to the day care center and dropped the kids off before heading to the surgery wing. Lexie started to fidget when they got on the elevator.

"Stop fidgeting." Meredith said softly as she took Lexie's hand to hold it still.

"Sorry." Lexie said looking down at her shoes. The elevator opened and Lexie was hesitant to get out.

"Am I going to have to treat you like a child?" Meredith said as she practically dragged Lexie out of the elevator. They walked over to the nurses' station where they saw Derek talking with Owen.

"Hey." Meredith said causing both men to turn and look at them. Before Derek could respond to Meredith's greeting, Owen spotted Lexie.

"Dr. Grey!" Owen said shocked. "How are you?"

"I'm fine Dr. Hunt." Lexie smiled shyly.

"Does Sloan know—"

"No. He doesn't know I'm here." Lexie cut him off sharply. "And I'd like to keep it that way."

"That won't be happening." Derek mumbled under his breath.

"Why not?" Lexie said in a panicking voice looking at Derek.

"Because your sister has a perforated ear drum as well as a nasal and orbital fracture." Owen informed her as he read the chart in front of him.

"So he's handling her whole case?" Lexie practically shouted while Owen and Derek just shook their heads. "Great! This is just great! I'm in hell!" She yelled before rubbing her temples.

"Just relax." Meredith reminded her. "Derek, do you know what happened?"

"Molly was completely incoherent when she got here so nobody knows. The other two cars involved don't remember what happened. From her injuries, I'm guessing her head hit her steering wheel."

"Does Eric know?" Lexie said quietly.

"I tried to get in touch with him but I got no answer so I just left a message." Derek told her.

"Where is she?" Lexie asked quickly.

"She's in a room right now."

"When is she going to go in surgery?"

"That's undetermined right now. The O.R.s are all booked." Owen responded.

"Can I see her?" Lexie asked quietly.

"I think that would be fine." Owen said gesturing with his hand to follow. Meredith and Derek hung back at the nurses' station as Owen guided Lexie to the room.

"I'm sorry about your sister Dr. Grey." Owen said regretfully as they walked down the halls.

"Thank you."

"I'm also sorry about your father." Lexie nodded her head in thanks as they came to the room. "I'll leave you alone now." He said before walking away. Lexie slowly entered the room to see Molly unconscious. She sat down in a nearby chair and took Molly's hand. Lexie stared at her baby sister, seeing all the bruises on her face and the dried blood on her face. She started to cry, not being able to handle everything that was happening. With her father's death, Molly's accident, and the high probability of her seeing Mark, she was a crumbling wall at this point. She heaved in and out as the tears continued to flow.

"You aren't authorized to be in here." Lexie heard a familiar voice say. She didn't want to lift her head because she knew who the voice belonged to. "I'm sorry ma'am but you have to go. She's about to be prepped for surgery." The voice said a little more forceful. Lexie reluctantly lifted her head. She turned and met those beautiful blue eyes that she had tried to forget for so long.

"Lexie?" Mark said surprised. Lexie sniffled and wiped her eyes before getting up.

"Hello Mark." She said in a quiet voice.

"How are you?"

"Not so great." Lexie mumbled looking down at her shoes.

"If this is about Molly, you know she'll be fine." Mark stated confidently.

"I haven't asked you for anything in years but please Mark, promise me that my sister is going to be okay." Lexie said tearfully.

"I promise." He said sincerely. He desperately wanted to reach out and touch her but he knew with their past, that might not be such a good idea.

"Thank you." She said in a soft voice before clearing her throat. "I'll…uh…I'll let you get to it then." She said before walking out of the room. Mark's eyes followed her. He couldn't believe the love of his life had walked right back into his life.

Lexie walked back to the nurses' station to see Derek and Meredith talking. Meredith saw her and could tell she had been crying because of her puffy, red eyes.

"It's going to be okay." Meredith said rubbing Lexie's back.

"I saw Mark." Lexie said softly.

"Oh."

"Yeah…" Lexie's voice trailed off.

"Did you tell him?" Derek asked. He received a look from Lexie that read "What do you think, you idiot?"

"Well, you should tell him." Derek said softly before walking away.

"C'mon, let's go wait for Molly to get out of surgery." Meredith said as they walked towards the waiting area.

* * *

Meredith and Lexie waited for Molly to get out of surgery and they occasionally went to go check on the kids and go to the cafeteria to get food and coffee. A resident would come out every now and then and let them know how she was doing. Eric had gotten there a while after they had started the surgery. He had been disheveled and panicky, not knowing what to tell Laura. He waited awhile with them before returning home to put Laura to bed. He promised to be back in the morning. Meredith knew that the day care would be closing soon.

"Lexie, we have to go. The day care center is closing soon."

"No. You go without me. I have to stay here." Lexie said as she sniffled.

"Lexie, this isn't healthy. You should come and get a good night's sleep."

"I'm her big sister Meredith. I have to stay."

"And I'm your big sister. And I say that you need to go get some rest. We'll come back in the morning. I promise." Meredith said sincerely. Lexie looked at her and gave her a watery smile.

"Thanks Meredith, but really, I'll be fine. Tell Marissa that I love her." Lexie said staying glued to her seat.

"Are you sure about this?" Meredith asked. Lexie nodded. This was her baby sister and she had to stay here. She had always felt an obligation to protect Molly, even when they were kids.

"Yeah. I'm sure." Lexie said quietly. Meredith nodded and walked to the day care center.

From the time Meredith left, Lexie had been lost in her thoughts. Meredith called when the kids were going to sleep and she talked to Marissa and told her goodnight. She didn't know when she fallen asleep but when Mark came out to tell her the surgery was done, he didn't have the heart to wake her up. He could always tell when she was exhausted and run down. He picked her up and was surprised when her arms wrapped themselves around his neck and her head turned into the crook of his neck. Being that close to her in the first time for so long made Mark remember all the good times with her and how much he missed her. As he felt her breath on his neck, he was able to admit to himself that he still loved her. He knew he was an idiot for messing up with her, but if he could have one more chance, he would be forever grateful. He gently placed her on the bed and tucked her in. He placed a kiss on her temple before leaving the room.

* * *

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	6. The Art of Being Oblivious

I wanted to put this chapter up last night but the uploader thing wasn't working, so here you go! Chapter 6! I liked writing this chapter!Such cuteness!READ!REVIEW!ENJOY!Disclaimer:Grey's is not mine.

* * *

Lexie stirred as she woke from her sleep. She quickly sat up, realizing she was in an on call room at Seattle Grace. She remembered waiting for Molly to get out of surgery but she certainly didn't remember how she got here. She stretched before she got out of bed and left the room. She walked down to the room that Molly had been in the previous night. She slowly walked into the room to see Molly, sleeping. She walked over to the window and looked out at it, with her back to the door. That's the reason why she didn't hear Mark come in.

"Good morning." He said, startling her. She turned towards him and stared at what was in his hands, a cup of coffee. Mark must've seen what she was staring at because he handed it to her. "You still like caramel latte with a teaspoon of brown sugar and foam, right?" He asked curiously.

"I do." She said quietly as she took it from him and sipped it. "Thanks." He just nodded in respond. There were so many things he wanted to say, so much he wanted to ask. Lexie turned back towards the window, choosing to ignore the way Mark was looking at her.

"So how've you been?" He asked carefully.

"Fine." She said before taking another sip of her latte. "What about you?"

"Great." He said awkwardly. Lexie could hear the awkwardness in his voice and decided to change the subject.

"How'd her surgery go?"

"It went well. She'll be fully recovered in about two to three weeks."

"Thank God." She breathed a sigh of relief. "Then I can go back home." She mumbled the last part.

"Back to Boston?" Mark said disappointed.

"Yep. How'd you know I lived in Boston?"

"Derek told me."

"Right." The room settled in an uncomfortable silence before a little voice rang out in the room.

"Mommy! Mommy!" Marissa said as she came charging into the room. Lexie's body turned around so fast, it was like whiplash. Marissa came and hugged Lexie's legs. Lexie couldn't find her voice, she didn't know what to say. She kept telling herself to just act normal.

"Marissa, what did I tell you about running and shouting?" Lexie said sternly.

"Sorry mommy." Marissa said quietly. Lexie looked back up to see Mark looking at them in complete shock. Meredith came in next and saw the way Mark was looking at them.

"Oh." She said as she looked between Mark and Lexie.

Mark cleared his throat before stuttering. "Uh…I…uh…have to…ummm….check on another patient." He said stumbling out of the room, thinking the worse and not realizing that there was no ring on Lexie's finger.

"Well, that was…" Meredith trailed off.

"Awkward." Lexie finished.

"Mommy who was that dreamy man?" Marissa asked. "He looks like that man you keep a picture of in one of your shoe boxes!"

"Marissa, you've been going through my things?!" Lexie asked outraged.

"Uh…no." Marissa said putting on an innocent smile but then it fell when she saw Lexie getting even more upset. "I mean yes."

"Marissa Susan Grey, when we get home you are grounded!"

"What's all the ruckus?" A groggy voice said from the bed.

"Molly!" Lexie said relieved as she went over towards her baby sister. "You scared the crap out of me!"

"Mommy said a bad word." Marissa snickered, causing her mother to glare in her.

"Is this my beautiful niece?" Molly asked getting a peek at Marissa. "Come here precious." Marissa walked towards the bed to let Molly get a good look at her. Meredith, Molly, and Lexie talked while Marissa looked about the room with boredom.

* * *

Mark strolled down the halls in search of Derek. When he got to his office, he barged in without knocking. "She has a kid!"

"Uh…who has a kid?" Derek asked confused.

"Lexie." Mark said pacing back and forth. "You knew about this! And you didn't tell me!"

"Mark—"

"And she's married! I mean I know I cheated on her but jeez! As soon as she got to Boston she must've found somebody that week!"

"But Mark she's—"

"I was going to tell her I still loved her! I'm such an idiot!"

"Finally, you realize that." Derek mumbled but it didn't matter because Mark was still ranting.

"She's married and she has a kid! It's too late! I can't believe this!"

"Mark! Shut up!" Derek yelled, finally getting his attention. "Maybe you should talk to her." Derek said calmly.

"There's nothing to talk about. Weren't you listening to what I said? She's married, she's got a kid." Mark said angrily before leaving the office and slamming the door behind him.

"But she's not married you dodo and the kid is yours." Derek said to the empty room.

* * *

Back in the room with the girls, Molly was in good spirits and adored her new niece. Meredith thought it was odd that a resident, instead of Mark had come back to do Molly's checkups. Meredith knew that Molly and Lexie hadn't got a chance to talk about Thatcher, so she took this opportunity to excuse herself and take Marissa with her.

"Lex—"

"No Molly let me go first. You were right. I haven't been here and it's unfair of me to get mad at you for wanting to put dad next to mom."

"I understand why you don't want him there but he was still our dad and he loved her Lex. Remember how they were before she died. We were like the freakin' Cleaver family." Molly chuckled.

"Yeah. I'm sorry Molly."

"It's okay. Besides, I shouldn't have gotten mad at you. I owe you an apology as well." Molly said as she took Lexie's hand a squeezed it. "I miss you Lex."

"I miss you too. And don't tell Meredith because she'll just rub it in my face but…I miss Seattle."

"Of course you do, it's home." Molly said softly.

"Yeah." She said longingly.

* * *

"So Aunt Meredith, are you taking me back to the day care with Michael, Izzie, and Christopher?" Marissa asked as she and Meredith walked the hallways.

"Yes I am." Meredith said chuckling at the child's enthusiasm. They stepped on to the elevator and were headed to the day care. It stopped before the floor was reached, signaling that another person was about to get on. The doors opened and Mark was about to get on but then he saw Marissa.

"Uh…I'll just take the stairs." He said before walking away.

"What a funny man." Marissa stated curiously after the doors closed. "Hey Aunt Meredith, why is that dreamy man so funny?"

"He has his reasons." Meredith told her before the elevator stopped and she took Marissa back to the day care center. After she dropped her off and kissed her own children, she headed to Derek' s office.

"What's wrong with Mark?" Meredith asked barging into his office.

"What's with you people barging in today?" Derek mumbled.

"Did you tell him?!" Meredith accused. "Because I swear to God Derek if you told him, no sex for a week." She threatened.

"No, I didn't tell him anything…he thinks Lexie is married though."

"Why would he think such a thing?"

"Because she has a kid. Most people assume if someone has a kid, they're married."

"This is madness." Meredith said taking a seat.

"He still loves her." Derek stated.

"Really?"

"Really. He was going to tell her."

"I think she still loves him too. Marissa spilled the beans about her having some picture of him in a shoe box."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously." Derek and Meredith were about to carry on the conversation, but were interrupted by a woman who Meredith knew worked in the day care.

"Is something wrong?" Meredith asked fearfully.

"Yes…well you see…ummm. We've lost your niece Dr. Shepherd." The woman said fearfully.

"You what?! I just dropped her back off!" Meredith said furiously.

"We're trying to find her right now." The woman said nervously.

"You'd better be!" Meredith shouted before the woman left. She turned back to Derek. "This is a disaster."

"What are you going to tell Lexie?"

"Are you crazy? I'm not telling her, she has enough on her plate. Hopefully these ding dongs will find her. I'm going to look for her too while I'm not being paged." Meredith said before leaving the room.

"What a day." Derek said shaking his head.

* * *

Unbeknownst to Lexie and everybody else, Marissa was on a mission to find the funny man and ask him did he know her mommy and figure out if he was the man in the picture. Somehow the small child walked the halls of Seattle Grace unnoticed. Nurses were too busy gossiping and interns and residents were too busy with patients. Marissa stumbled into a gallery of an operating room, where she saw the funny man. Mark turned his head around to see Lexie's daughter staring at him. He was completely silent at first, not knowing what to say to the little girl.

"You aren't supposed to be in here kid." He said gruffly, hoping that she would go away.

"I know." Marissa said as she sat down in a chair next to him. "I kind of like breaking the rules."

"Yeah, me too." He smiled respecting her spunk.

"What's your name?" Marissa asked curiously.

"Mark."

"Oh…hi Mark. I'm Marissa."

"Aren't you scared of all that stuff down there kid?" Mark asked her referring to the surgery that was taking place down below.

"Nope. My mommy's a surgeon and I've watched some of that stuff on TV with her." Marissa said swinging her feet. "Do you know my mommy?" Marissa asked hopefully.

"Your mommy's Lexie, right?"

"Yep! Lexie Grey, the best surgeon in the world!" Marissa said proudly.

"Yes I—" Mark stopped mid sentence. "Wait a minute; did you just say Lexie _Grey_?"

"That's what I said." Marissa said annoyed. She didn't like repeating herself.

"Isn't your mommy married?" Mark asked.

"Nope." Marissa said shaking her head. "It's just me and mommy."

"Really." Mark stated as he realized he had been wrong. The fact that Lexie wasn't married gave him the tiniest bit of hope.

"I've been wondering about something."

"What's that?" Mark said happily, still reeling over the fact that Lexie wasn't married.

"You look like this guy that my mommy keeps a picture of in one of her shoe boxes."

"Is that so?" Mark asked.

"Uh huh."

"Marissa!" Meredith said as she came into the gallery and saw her sitting with Mark.

"Uh oh. Busted." She mumbled.

"You are so busted young lady."Meredith said as she took Marissa's hand. She looked at Mark to see him looking overjoyed, which was such a rare occasion.

"What is wrong with you today?" Meredith asked.

"Huh? Nothing…I have to go talk to Derek." He said rushing from the room. He peeked his head back in and looked at Marissa. "Nice talking to you Marissa." He said before leaving back out.

"Mark's kinda cool." Marissa said looking up at Meredith.

"It's a good thing Lexie isn't going to know about any of this." Meredith mumbled. "Here's the deal Marissa, I don't tell your mommy you broke out of day care, you don't tell her you had a conversation with Mark. Deal?"

"Deal." She said with a smile.

"Let's get you back to day care." Meredith said as they walked out of the gallery.

* * *

"She's not married!" Mark said in a thrilled tone as he walked into Derek's office.

"I'm going to actually start locking that door if you people come barging in like that one more time." Derek said irritated.

"It's not too late! She's not married; it's not too late for us to try again, I mean if she actually wants to try again." Mark said sitting down across from Derek's desk. "Did you know she keeps a picture of me in a shoe box?"

"So I've been told more than once today."

"Her kid is really funny." Mark stated. "I wonder who the father is?" Mark said stroking his beard. Derek snorted at the irony of it all.

"What was that?" Mark asked looking at him.

"Oh…just something in my throat." Derek lied.

"Oh. I'm going to go check on Molly." Mark said before leaving the office. Derek could swear he heard him singing, "she's not married" down the hall.

"He is such an idiot." Derek mumbled, not understanding how Mark couldn't see the resemblance between Marissa and himself. He thought that the eyes would be a dead giveaway. He was tired of all the secrecy and he knew that Meredith was too. If there wasn't a threat of no sex for a week hanging over his head, he would definitely tell Mark.

* * *

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	7. Lying to Yourself Will Get You Nowhere

Here's the next chapter! I appreciate all the reviews that I've gotten so far! READ!REVIEW!ENJOY!disclaimer:I don't own Grey's.

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Mark walked to Molly's room with vigor in his step. When he walked into the room, Lexie looked up from the magazine she was reading.

"Is something wrong? She's been acting fine—" Lexie began to ramble before Mark cut her off.

"Whoah. Slow down there Lassie," Mark said teasing her. Lexie smiled at one of her earliest nicknames Mark used to call her. "She's fine. I'm just doing a routine checkup." He said before going over towards a sleeping Molly.

"Molly, wake up." Lexie said gently. Molly had always been a light sleeper, so it didn't take much to wake her.

"Dr. Sloan. Is something else wrong with me?" Molly panicked.

"No, just a checkup."

"Oh." She said placing her hand over her heart. "You had me worried." She smiled. While Mark performed the checkup, Lexie went back to reading her magazine. Mark and Lexie both stole glances at each other when the other wasn't looking. These looks didn't go unnoticed by Molly though. After Mark announced that he was done, he asked for Lexie to come in the hall with him.

"I knew something was wrong." Lexie whispered as she rested her head against the wall and closed her eyes. "What is it? What did you find?"

"Lexie, calm down. Your sister is fine." Mark said reassuringly.

"Oh." She said opening her eyes. "Okay, so what's up?"

"We need to talk. Ever since I saw you yesterday, I've wanted…needed to talk to you."

"Mark, what happened with us was so long ago. I've moved on and I'm sure you have too." She said looking down.

"That's where you're wrong Little Grey." He said, causing her head to lift up sharply.

"Don't call me that." She said tensely. It reminded her too much of what they used to have.

"We need to talk." Mark said before glancing over at the nurses' station to see them staring. "But not here. Dinner tonight?"

"I don't know Mark." Lexie said wringing her hands.

"C'mon, you know we have a lot to talk about." Mark prodded.

"Yes. We do have a lot we need to talk about." Lexie said as her thoughts drifted to Marissa.

"So, I'll pick you up at 8?" Mark suggested before Lexie nodded. They looked each other in the eyes for a moment and it was impossible not to see the electricity going on between the two. Mark's beeper chose to go off at that moment.

"Uh…I have to go. I'll see you tonight." Mark said grinning at her before taking his leave. Lexie sighed. She knew tonight it was now or never. She had to tell Mark about Marissa. She walked back into the room to see Molly looking at her expectantly.

"What?" Lexie asked.

"Spill the beans."

"It's a long story."

"Where am I going to go Lexie? I'm confined to this bed." Molly said sarcastically.

"He's her dad." Lexie stated, taking a seat. Molly looked at her with wide eyes. When Lexie had told Molly she was pregnant all those years ago, she had never told her who the father was. Lexie went on to tell the whole heartbreaking tale of she and Mark's relationship and how it ended and that she still loved him.

"So what are you waiting for? I saw the way he was looking at you. He still loves you and obviously you still love him!" Molly exclaimed before Lexie sighed. "And how could you not tell him he had a child? That's low Lex."

"Thank you." Lexie said rolling her eyes. "I've been getting the same speech from Meredith and Derek. I'm going to tell him tonight. Really, I am." Lexie was so nervous about tonight that she seriously considered, backing out.

"And don't you even thing about backing out." Molly said, breaking her thoughts. Lexie looked up at her in surprise.

"I know what's going on in that head of yours missy." Molly said knowingly. "We are sisters after all. Seriously Lexie, don't back out, He has a right to know."

"Yeah I know." Lexie sighed before changing the subject. She and Molly talked a while longer, but Lexie wasn't there for half of the conversation because her mind kept wondering off to Mark and telling him about Marissa.

* * *

Later in the afternoon, Lexie had told Meredith that she was going out with Mark. Meredith was very excited to hear this and the possibility of them getting back together.

"Who said anything about us getting back together?" Lexie asked before eating the ice cream that was in front of her.

"Oh Lexie, don't act like you don't still want him."

"I don't." Lexie lied. "I'm just going to hear what he has to say and tell him about Marissa."

"Sure. I wouldn't be surprised if you two love birds go to city hall in the morning and come back here married." Meredith joked.

"Hahaha. Very funny." Lexie said flatly.

"Really, Lexie. When are you going to stop putting on this front that you don't miss him…or Seattle?"

"It's not a front." Lexie mumbled.

"Sure." Meredith said not believing her. She was going to carry on the conversation but she was interrupted by the phone ringing. "Hello." Meredith said into the receiver. Lexie listened to the one sided conversation and she assumed it was Derek because Meredith kept using terms of endearment.

"Okay. Love you too. Bye." She said before hanging up the phone. She looked at Lexie. "Derek told me to tell you good luck tonight."

"I could always leave and he would never know she was his." Lexie said before eating more ice cream.

"First off, stop eating." Meredith said snatching the ice cream from Lexie and placing it far out of her reach.

"Hey!" Lexie whined in protest.

"Second, you owe it to Mark and Marissa to tell him. I grew up without a dad Lexie. It sucks and she'll resent you for the rest of her life. So backing out is not an option." Meredith said seriously. "We don't need any more dark and twisty Greys in this family." She joked.

"It's still so weird to see you like this." Lexie laughed.

"I like being the new and improved Meredith. No darkness, no twisty stuff…no tequila."

"What! Not you! The tequila drinking queen." Lexie teased her.

"Every once in a while, I might have a glass or two but now that I have kids, it's different." Meredith shrugged.

"I see." Lexie said. "Can I have my ice cream back?" She asked like a child.

"No." Meredith said before taking a bite of it.

"Hey! Give it back!" Lexie laughed as she got up and tried to make a grab for it.

"Nope." Meredith said lifting the ice cream higher. "Not until you promise me you're going to tell Mark."

"I promise." Lexie mumbled while rolling her eyes before Meredith returned the ice cream.

* * *

Lexie was getting ready to go out with Mark, when Marissa came bounding into the room.

"You look really pretty mommy." Marissa said sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Thank you pumpkin." Lexie said turning to look at her and smile.

"Where are you going?" The little girl asked curiously.

"I'm going to dinner with…an old friend." Lexie said as she put her earrings on.

"Oh. Who?" Marissa prodded.

"The _dreamy_ man that you saw this morning."

"Oh, Mark." Marissa said approving.

"Yes, Mark." Lexie said, but then remembered something. She turned back around to face Marissa. "How do you know his name?" Lexie looked at her suspiciously. Marissa quickly remembered the deal that she had made with her Aunt Meredith.

"Aunt Meredith told me."

"Oh." Lexie said turning back around, still in dark about the conversation that went on between father and daughter. Lexie heard the doorbell ring and Meredith calling her name. "Okay Rissa, be a good girl for your aunt and uncle. I love you." Lexie said before kissing her on the forehead. She went downstairs to see Mark waiting at the bottom of the stairs.

"You look beautiful." Mark said, causing Lexie to blush.

"Thanks." She said shyly.

"Have her home by 11 Sloan!" Meredith joked from the other room.

"Shut up!" Mark joked back, he turned back to Lexie. "Ready?" Lexie nodded and they left to go to the restaurant.

* * *

You guys are going to love the next chapter!(.)depending on how many reviews I get,there could possibly be another update as soon as tonight!so REVIEW IT GUYS!


	8. The Truth Will Set You Free

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR REVIEWING AND HERE IT IS, THE CHAPTER YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!READ!REVIEW!ENJOY! disclaimer:I don't own Grey's.

* * *

Lexie and Mark had settled into an awkward silence at the restaurant. Lexie continued to take sips of her wine while Mark went over what to say in his head. The appetizers came and Lexie had never been so grateful in her life to see food because she'd be too busy chewing to talk.

"How's your salad?" Mark asked.

"It's good." She said quickly before continuing to eat. After she was done, she took another sip of wine and looked about the room. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"I think you know what I wanted to talk about." He paused. "Us." He said before putting a velvet box on the table and sliding it towards Lexie.

"Mark." She sighed. "What is that?" She pointed at the small box.

"Open it." He told her. She did and she was surprised and shocked to find a three stone diamond ring twinkling. She abruptly shut it.

"Is this some kind of a joke?" She said icily.

"No, it's not. I was going to ask you to marry me." He said looking her deep in the eyes.

You cheated on me Mark. I loved you and I thought you did too but you went and threw it all away." She said dully.

"Lexie, I loved…love you."

"Then why did you do it?" She asked brusquely.

"I was scared…of losing myself. So I did something selfish. I became my old man whorish self that night." He said ashamed. "If I could do it all over again, I would. I was an ass." He said sincerely.

"Yes you were."

"It hasn't been the same without you Lex…I miss you." He said grabbing her hand. Lexie was so shocked that she couldn't pull it away. "I know I love you and I think you still love me too."

"You have no right to assume what I do and don't feel." She said pulling her hand away from his. She was angry, sad, and confused.

"The picture in the shoe box Lex." He stated.

"How do you know about that?"

"It doesn't matter. Is it true?" He asked hopefully.

"Even if it was, what difference would it make? I live half way across the country and I have a daughter." Lexie asked.

"I would know that you still loved me and as far as Marissa's concerned, I would treat her like my own. I just want to be with you Lexie. Do you still love me?" He waited for her answer in anticipation. "If you can sit here and honestly tell me you don't love me, I'll walk away…but if you still love me, don't push me away just because you have a kid that isn't mine."

Lexie was seriously tired of this cosmic joke that was being played on her. To hear Mark talking about Marissa as if she wasn't his was painful, she knew she had to do it. She had to tell him.

"Of course I still love you." She said as her eyes became teary. She saw Mark smile. "But you aren't going to want to be with me after I tell you something that you should've known a long time ago." She looked up at Mark to see him looking at her waiting for what she was about to say. Lexie sighed.

"When I got to Boston, I found out that I was pregnant." She looked at him and she realized that he knew, he had finally figured it out. Mark thought back about the conversation that he had had with Marissa and the way she looked. Her eyes. Those were his eyes and then the conversation with Derek and how he had snorted when he wondered who the father was.

"Are you saying…is she…" Mark was so in shock that he couldn't even finish his sentence.

"Yes. Marissa is yours." Lexie said quietly.

"How the hell could you keep her from me for all this time?!" Mark hissed. This was exactly the way Lexie knew he would react.

"Mark, I know I made a mistake."

"How could you be so damn selfish? You knew I wanted children and after Addison had an abortion, you knew how I felt about my child being taken away from me! How could you do it?"

"You're overreacting. Marissa is alive, it's not like I had an abortion."

"But you still kept her from me and that's not alright." He said harshly.

"Mark." She whimpered as she tried to grab his hand. He pulled away and he stood up.

"I don't have anything else to say to you." He said before throwing money down on the table to pay for the bill. He walked out, leaving her at the table alone, sobbing. She looked at the small velvet box, sitting on the table. She grabbed it and put it into her purse.

* * *

Lexie caught a cab back to Meredith's house .She cried the whole way back. When she walked in the door, it was quiet and she figured the kids must be asleep.

"Lexie." Meredith called from the study. Lexie walked in and Meredith looked up to see her eyes red and puffy. "You told him." Meredith stated. Lexie just nodded her head. "Come here Lex." Meredith said softly, opening up her arms to her little sister. Lexie gladly welcomed the embrace and cried onto Meredith's shoulder. "It's going to be okay." Meredith said as she rubbed Lexie's back.

"How can you say that? He hates me." Lexie sniffled.

"He doesn't hate you. He's just mad."

"He's furious." Lexie said as she sniffled some more. "What the hell was I thinking?"

"You wanted to protect your heart and Marissa's."

"I'm a selfish person….and a terrible mother."

"Lexie don't say that. It takes a lot to raise a child alone and you did an excellent job with Marissa. You are far from a terrible mother." Meredith said as she reached over on the desk and gave her some tissues.

"Thanks." She said softly. She cleared her throat and pulled away from Meredith. "I'm going to go get cleaned up and go to bed."

"Okay. Goodnight." Meredith said as Lexie headed to the stairs. "Hey Lexie." Meredith called out.

"Yeah." She said softly.

"I love you." Meredith said sincerely.

"I love you too." Lexie said before going upstairs to the bathroom that was connected to the bedroom. She stripped off her clothes and ran herself a bath. She was trying to stay relaxed in the bathtub but she just couldn't stop herself from crying. The door creaked open and a little head peeked in at her.

"Mommy." A little voice said.

"Hi, sweetness." Lexie said as she wiped her tears. "What are you doing up?"

"I heard you crying. Why were you crying mommy?" She asked innocently, coming into the bathroom.

"Don't worry about it precious." Lexie told her.

"But mommy, when you're sad, I'm sad."

"Don't be Rissa. You know that I love you very much, don't you?"

"Of course I do mommy. I love you too."

"Are you glad I'm your mommy?"

"Yes. You're the most amazing mommy in the world!" Marissa said blowing her a kiss. "And it doesn't matter that I don't have a daddy, like the other kids because you're all that I need."

"I'm really sorry about that Riss because that's not how it should be and I promised one day…soon you'll meet your daddy." Lexie said regretfully.

"Really!" She said excited.

"Really." Lexie said smiling at her. Even though she was feeling down, Marissa made her feel like she was worth something. It had been like that since she was born. If she was having a bad day at the hospital or lost a patient, she would go home and see Marissa and she would know that everything would be okay. She believed that Marissa was her own godsend.

"Why don't you go back to sleep." Lexie prodded. "I'll be there soon."

"Okay mommy." Marissa said before heading to the door. She looked back at Lexie and smiled. "Don't worry, be happy mommy."

"I will be as long as I have you pumpkin." Lexie said before Marissa left the room. Lexie finished taking her bath and put on her pajamas and climbed into the bed, holding Marissa close to her heart.

"Mommy loves you so much Riss." Lexie whispered while stroking Marissa's hair as she waited for sleep to come.

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SO THERE IT WAS! REVIEW IT!


	9. The Start Of Something New

You guys have been really super with all the reviews and I love reading them!I'm sad to say this is the last chapter before the epilogue but my other story, A Part of My Life, Always and Forever is still in progress and I will be brainstorming for another Slexie story! READ!REVIEW!ENJOY!disclaimer:I don't own Grey's.

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Derek was mildly annoyed to get a call from Joe, saying that Mark was indisposed. He didn't want to deal with this as soon as he got off of work; he wanted to go home to his wife and kids. He made the short trip to Joe's and went inside to see Mark passed out in a booth.

"Thanks for calling Joe." Derek said as he passed him. Joe nodded, thankful that someone was coming to get him. Derek went over and hoisted Mark up. "Jeez, you're heavy." Derek mumbled before dragging Mark to his car. While they were in the car, Mark started to come around.

"You're not a good friend." Mark mumbled.

"Why is that?"

"You must've known about Marissa and you didn't tell me."

"That was something that Lexie had to tell you on her own. I wasn't getting involved with that."

"Well you should've." He slurred. "I can't believe I have a kid." He said rubbing his hands over his face.

"I was really surprised you hadn't figured it out." Derek said surprisingly.

"I know. She has my eyes." Mark smiled at the thought. "I always wanted a little girl with my eyes."

"Well now you have one." Derek said glancing at him. "So don't mess it up."

"Jeez Derek, do you think I'm going to be a bad father?" Mark said angrily.

"No, I didn't mean with Marissa…I meant with Lexie."

"I can't even think about her right now." Marks aid feeling betrayed. "I never pegged her as the type who would hide something like this from me."

"She was confused; she didn't know what to do." Derek defended.

"She still should've told me." He said acting like a child. "What is it with women keeping fatherhood from me? First Addison, now Lexie." He mumbled. "I don't want anything to do with her."

"You don't mean that."

"Yes I do."

"No, you don't. You are crazy about Lexie and she's crazy about you. That's why you couldn't make it work with that girl…uh…Jessica?"

"Jennifer."

"Whatever. You couldn't make it work with her because you missed Lexie too much." Mark tried to protest but Derek cut him off. "And don't try to tell me I'm wrong." Mark knew Derek was right. After Lexie left, he tried the whole monogamous thing again but he missed Lexie too much and he broke it off with Jennifer.

"I have a kid." Mark said repeatedly while laughing. He just continued to say it over and over again until he passed out again. Derek pulled up to the house and dragged Mark inside, placing him on the sofa. He went upstairs to get some well needed rest; it had been a long day.

* * *

Lexie waited for sleep to come, but it never did. She carefully let go of Marissa and walked downstairs to the kitchen to make some tea. She sat there quietly, sipping it. She kept thinking about Mark and Marissa and what Meredith had said about growing up without a father. She owed it to Mark and Marissa for them to meet and get to know each other. She wanted Marissa to have that loving father-daughter relationship that she had growing up. God forbid that Marissa grow up to be like Meredith, all dark and twisty inside. She started thinking about a lot of things after that. Would Mark want partial custody? Would he try to convince the courts that she was an unfit mother and want full custody? She felt a headache coming on and she decided it would be best to stop thinking. After she had finished her tea, she settle on trying to go back to sleep. She was about to walk back upstairs, when she heard a grunt from the living room. Curious, she went in the living room to see Mark sleeping on the couch. She sighed, not knowing where they were going to go from here. They had so much to figure out.

She took the blanket lying on the arm of the couch and spread it out over him. She gently stroked his hair like she had done some many times before. She traced his jaw very carefully.

"I love you so much." Lexie whispered softly. "And our daughter needs her father." She said before kissing his cheek and standing up to go back upstairs.

"Don't go." She heard his voice say. She turned back around to face him. He was sitting up on the couch. She walked back into the living room and took a seat on the coffee table that was next to the couch.

"I'm sorry for not telling you about Marissa."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Many reasons. If you had known, what were you going to do? Would you've come after me?"

"Maybe. Back to my question, why?"

"I didn't want anything to do with you after we ended things. You'd hurt me so bad and I was just protecting Marissa." She paused. "No I was protecting myself."

"I'm sorry. If I wouldn't have cheated, none of this would've happened. We'd be married and raising her together."

"I meant what I said at the restaurant; I do still love you."

"I know. I still love you too but I'm still angry at you."

"Do you think you can forgive someone you love?" She asked hopefully.

"Do you?"

"Absolutely." She smiled.

"Same here." He grinned at her. "What would you do if I kissed you?"

"I'd kiss you right back."

"Really?"

"Really." She nodded before his lips met her's in a long kiss.

"I think your lips missed mine." Lexie giggled.

"Same to you." He joked as he pulled her into his arms. "I forgot how perfectly you fit in my arms."

"I did too." She said before burying her head in the crook of his neck.

"So, tell me about our little girl." Mark stated and he could feel Lexie smile against his neck.

"She's a godsend…but she reminds me of you in a lot of ways. Her eyes, her smile, some of her personality."

"Like breaking out of day care."

"Huh?" Lexie said bringing her head up.

"Yeah she broke out of day care today and we talked…I'm guessing you didn't know about that." Mark said seeing Lexie's face.

"No, I didn't." Lexie said in annoyance. "She's so grounded when we get back home."

"Where exactly is home?" Mark asked curiously.

"I…I really don't know." She said putting her head on his chest. "I guess home is where you are."

"Are you saying that you're going to move back to Seattle?"

"I think that's a possibility. Besides, I miss it here. I was trying to fool myself that Boston was home but really it wasn't." She smiled.

"So we need to talk about us." Mark said.

"What about us?" Lexie asked curiously.

"Should we start over again and take it slow or should we pick up where we left off?" Mark wondered drawing little circles on her back. Lexie thought of something just then.

"I'll be right back." She said before hopping off of the couch and going upstairs. A few seconds later she came back with something behind her back. She snuggled back into his arms and placed the little black box on his chest. "Ask me again one day." She said before wrapping her arms around his neck.

"So, back to Marissa." Mark asked anxiously. Lexie went on to tell him everything about their beautiful daughter. Everything from her birthday to losing her first tooth.

"I missed a lot" he mumbled.

"No thanks to me." Lexie said regretfully. "But you'll have the rest of her life to be there."

"Yeah." He said with a goofy grin as he wrapped his arms around her waist and they both drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Meredith was amazed to see Mark and Lexie on the couch in each other's arms. She was happy that they were happy. She ran up stairs to go get Derek and they both looked at them for a while.

"Well, how about that." He mumbled before the kids came downstairs and saw the two occupants on the couch. Marissa and Christopher sat on the coffee table gazing at the two. Lexie blinked a few times before her vision became clear. She looked at Marissa and Christopher and then looked over to see Derek and Meredith staring at them.

"Good morning." Meredith said cheerfully.

"Good morning." Lexie said blushing.

"Chris…why don't you come into the kitchen with your mom and I buddy?" Derek suggested.

"But Mom—" He started to whine.

"Christopher Nathaniel Shepherd." Meredith said sternly.

"Okay." He said knowing his mother meant business. Derek, Meredith, and Christopher shuffled into the kitchen, giving Mark, Lexie, and Marissa a moment.

"Mommy, why are you in Mark's arms?" Marissa asked curiously. Mark started to wake up then and he looked at Marissa and smiled. It was the first time he saw her, since he found that she was his daughter.

"Well Riss, it's a long story." Lexie said slowly before looking up at Mark.

"Well, I have lots of time mommy." She said swinging her legs.

"Remember when I told you that daddy left?"

"Uh huh."

"Well I lied sweetie."

"Mommy!" Marissa said shocked that her mother would lie. "But you told me that lying was bad."

"I know honey and it is." Lexie said reaching over and taking Marissa's hands. "I was wrong and I shouldn't have lied to you."

"It's okay, I forgive you." Marissa said nicely. Mark smiled at her cuteness and her chubby cheeks. It was going to be hard to say no to a little cherub like that.

"Okay, so you know how I told you that you would meet your daddy soon?"

"Yeah."

"What would you say if you met him today?" Lexie and Mark could both see her eyes light up with excitement.

"That would be awesome!" She exclaimed. Lexie looked at Mark signaling that she was about to say it.

"Marissa, Mark is your dad." The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"Mark is my dad?" she asked looking at him.

"Yeah sweetie he is." Lexie smiled.

"This is so cool!"

"It's very cool." Mark said agreeing with her. "But, you can't call me Mark anymore."

"I know that…daddy." Mark felt very funny inside hearing someone call him that, but he felt funny in a good way.

"Hey Riss…is it okay that I call you that?" Mark asked hesitantly.

"Of course it's okay silly." She giggled.

"Okay…can I have a hug?" Mark asked shyly.

"It's not like you have to ask." She giggled before jumping on the couch and hugging Mark. Mark put his arms around Lexie and pulled her close. Mark and Lexie finally felt complete, having their daughter in their arms and being with each other again. They were finally a family. Lexie thought about her parents at that point because in a weird way it was because of their deaths that Lexie had Mark. If her mother wouldn't have died, she wouldn't have had to do her residency at Seattle Grace and she wouldn't have met Mark and fell in love with him. If her father hadn't died, she wouldn't have come back to Seattle and rekindled her relationship with Mark. She felt Mark kiss her on the temple and she looked up at him and smiled. It had been a long time since she was truly happy but at that moment, she felt like happiness was there to stay.

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OKAY GUYS REVIEW IT!THE EPILOGUE IS COMING UP SOON!WHO KNOWS?MAYBE TONIGHT!


	10. Epilogue

Disclaimer:I don't own Grey's!READ!REVIEW!ENJOY!

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…2 years later

"Okay how about accessories." Mark said looking at Marissa.

"A-C-C-E-S-S-O-R-I-E-S." She spelled the word with ease as she smiled at her father.

"Circumstances."

"C-I-R-C-U-M-S-T-A-N-C-E-S."

"Okay, last one. Multiplication."

"M-U-L-T-I-P-L-I-C-A-T-I-O-N."

"Very good pumpkin." Mark said as he put the spelling list on her nightstand. Mark and Marissa turned to see Lexie standing at the door with one year old Nathaniel on Lexie's hip.

"Oh, don't let us interrupt." Lexie chuckled while Nathaniel cooed.

"You didn't interrupt mommy." Marissa said going towards them and softly tickling Nathaniel's foot, causing him to squeal. "Hey there Nate." She said while still tickling him. Lexie and Mark were scared that Marissa was going to become more difficult when Nathaniel was born because she was so used to being an only child, but to their surprise, Marissa had been an angel and she loved her baby brother very much.

"I thought your dad was in here tucking you in." Lexie said shooting Mark a questioning glance.

"He was but I just wanted to go over my spelling words one more time." She said, lookin at Lexie sheepishly.

"Riss, you know them. Get some sleep." Lexie chuckled at her daughter's enthusiasm for learning and studying.

"But I'm not even sleepy." She whined before she climbed into the bed. Mark brought the covers up to her chin and kissed her on the forehead.

"Night. Love you." Mark told her as he pushed some hair out of her face.

"Love you too dad." She said before yawning.

"And you said you weren't sleepy." Lexie said coming over and sitting on the bed with Nate in her arms.

"Well I wasn't a minute ago." She mumbled.

"Uh huh. Good night precious. I love you."

"Love you too mommy." She said. Lexie gave her a kiss on the cheek and Nate reached over and grabbed the comforter.

"I guess that's his way of saying goodnight." Mark joked.

"Nightie night Nate." Marissa said as she kissed one of his chubby cheeks. Mark stepped out into the hallway, with Lexie right behind him. They went into Nate's room and placed him in his crib. He looked up at them with those big blue eyes and let out a tiny yawn.

"You're kind of sleepy, aren't you buddy?" Mark said as he placed his hand in the crib and softly rubbed the little bit of brown fuzz growing on Nate's head.

"He's been a little fussy lately." Lexie said as she looped her arm through Mark's and placed her head on his shoulder. "The poor little guy." Lexie said as she stroked Nate's fingers. "We love you." Lexie said before kissing his fingers. They turned on the singing baby mobile, hoping it would lull him to sleep. They walked out of the nursery and walked down the hall to their bedroom. When they got there, Lexie sat at the vanity mirror, brushing her hair.

"Hey, guess what?" Mark said flopping onto the bed.

"What?" Lexie said looking at him though the mirror.

"I have the best idea ever."

"And what would that be."

"For you to get in the bed and "teach me" " He chuckled.

"Very funny." Lexie said getting up and going over to the bed. "Are you making fun of me?"

"Yes but I just happened to think about that night. Do you know if you hadn't been bold enough to come into my hotel room, we wouldn't be married and have our wonderful children?"

"I guess but do you know that I would've never come back to Seattle if my dad wouldn't have died and we wouldn't have Nate?"

"You would've come back eventually. You can't get enough of me." He teased as he put his arms around her waist.

"You certainly are right about that Dr. Sloan." Lexie whispered huskily.

"I'm glad you came back."

"So am I." Lexie said gazing in his eyes. "Now, shut up and kiss me." She commanded. Mark pinned her beneath him and did as he was told. Their tongues twisted and turned inside each other's. Mark pulled back and looked at her.

"Is that an invitation to make baby number three?" He chuckled.

"If you want a baby number three."

"As long as it's with you." He said as his eyes twinkled. She pulled his head down and their lips met again, setting the stage for an exhilarating night of love making, where baby number three would in fact be conceived.

**THE END**

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Sad to say, that's the end of our story. My brain is in the works for another Slexie story though! Check out my other story A Part of My Life, Always and Forever!THANK YOU MY WONDERFUL READERS!I hope you enjoyed it!


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